Reel World

By Devin D. O’Leary

’Zine on the Screen--On Sunday, Oct. 22, at 2 p.m. the Blue Dragon Coffee House (1517 Girard NE) will host a special film screening/event courtesy of MAP21. Media Arts Promotion 21 is an all-ages Albuquerque mentorship collective created to share and promote art projects produced by local youth. This Sunday, MAP21 members will hold a free screening of A Hundred Dollars and a Tee Shirt, a short documentary about ’zine (homemade self-published magazine) culture. A post-film discussion will cover making and distributing ’zines. Anyone who comes to the screening gets a free copy of the latest MAP21 ’zine made by Albuquerque youth, including musicians, poets, dancers and filmmakers. Portions of this event will be filmed for a documentary the group is making about how this new organization is being built by and for ABQ youth. For more information, call 266-0852.

Future Filmmakers of America Unite--On the heels of unprecidented movie production in the Land of Enchantment, The College of Santa Fe is introducing its New Mexico Filmmakers Intensive, an immersive filmmaking program in producing, directing and screenwriting set to launch this January. While NMFI will be open to all qualified applicants, New Mexico residents receive priority admission and are exclusively eligible for college-sponsored tuition grants. These grants, which come courtesy of the State Film Office’s new initiative to bolster above-the-line talent (writers, directors, producers), range from $2,000 to a full scholarship. In its inaugural year, NMFI will admit up to 26 students, with plans for future expansion.

NMFI is shaping up to be a serious hands-on program. Over the course of study, NMFI will provide $10,000 to each producer/director team toward the financing of their approved summer production, an actual digital film. Many more New Mexicans will benefit from NMFI thanks to the program’s collaboration with state-sponsored below-the-line training programs at Santa Fe Community College and Central New Mexico Community College. (These community college programs, by contrast, cover camera operators, grips, gaffers and other union positions). The idea is to generate both local films and local crews.

NMFI will be housed at the College of Santa Fe’s state-of-the-art Garson Communications Center, home to the Garson Studios stages. If you’re interested in jumping on the filmmaking bandwagon, NMFI application forms can be accessed online at nmfilmmaker.com or by calling (505) 473-6400.